red deer UK /ɹɛd dɪə/US /ɹɛd dɪɹ/ noun2 •A species of large deer, Cervus elaphus, found in Europe and southwestern Asia. •(old-fashioned) The wapiti or North American elk, Cervus canadensis, a deer species of North America, long believed to be a subspecies of the European red deer. formsred deers